This invention relates generally to apparatus for dispensing medicinal substances on a large scale, and has special reference to a novel medication dispensing apparatus that is particularly adapted for hospital and nursing home use.
Apparatus and systems for automatically dispensing drug doses in response to programmed input information have been developed heretofore. Such an apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,917,045 granted Nov. 4, 1975 to Robert L. Williams et al, this patent representing the closest prior art known to the applicant. The Williams patent is directed to a drug dispensing apparatus for automatically dispensing one or more individual drug doses to a common collection area in accordance with input information representing the medicinal needs of a particular patient.
The apparatus disclosed in the Williams patent includes a locked cabinet which houses a relatively large number of removable and refillable cartridges. Each cartridge stores a plurality of individual identical drug doses and has means for sequentially dispensing the doses on a demand basis. The dispensing apparatus also includes means for receiving the input information and control means that responds to the input information and selectively operates the cartridges to dispense an individual drug dose or doses according to the patient's unique medicinal needs.
While the Williams apparatus undoubtedly serves its intended purpose, the construction is relatively complex and thus expensive to produce. In one of the main embodiments, for example, every one of the drug storage cartridges requires an electric motor, a sensor, a switch, indicator lamps and assorted pulleys and drive belts, and 81 such cartridges are shown. In the other main embodiment having at least as many cartridges, each cartridge is equipped with a solenoid and the necessary wiring therefor.
Additional prior art, developed in the course of a preliminary search, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,144,958; 3,179,288; 3,196,276; 3,310,199; 3,312,372; 3,410,450; 3,436,736; 3,815,780; 3,848,112; 4,107,777; 4,223,801 and 4,237,536.